Inside the Revolution: A Journey Into The Heart Of Venezuela
Director: Pablo Navarrete
South America gets a raw deal in popular British media. It is largely ignored, so my knowledge of current events in Venezuela is a heck of a lot less than the trivia in my head about The X Factor, Strictly Come Dancing, Katie Price and Kerry Katona – and I do not consciously watch or follow any of them. I only know about these destroyers of Saturday night television and airbrushed, wretched creatures because the celebrity virus has seeped from the TV and started to liquefy my cerebral cortex much against my will. I seem to be powerless to stop the spread and I feel unclean, increasingly stupid and less aware of global current affairs. I crave intelligent viewing much as a drunk slavers over a kebab. So thank goodness the opportunity came to watch this interesting, straightforward, workmanlike but nonetheless effective documentary film by Pablo Navarrete. Inside The Revolution: A Journey Into The Heart Of Venezuela was an hour well spent.
In my weak moments, as I flick through the channels, I sometimes catch an immaculate robot on Fox News sticking the boot into President Hugo Chávez, calling his sanity and intentions into question. The United States government despises him and works constantly to undermine him. Chávez is hardly shy about spitting back and goading the Americans in particular and capitalism in general. He is a revolutionary by profession and ambition and talks tough when the critics get going. The film takes the opportunity to assess Chávez and Venezuela after 10 years of rule under his rule, listening to the voices of ordinary people, exposing the good, bad and ugly sides of life in a troubled country.
Chávez’ power and position rests on the support he gets from the poor. His speeches, when not sniping at international targets, are mostly aimed at them. He first stuck his head into the public arena in the early 1990s and eventually muscled his way to full control of Venezuela in 1998. After a decade, he continues to be popular, charismatic and convincing, despite his government’s inability to control corruption and crime or to improve public services.
“He is the strength, the lifeblood of all Venezuelans and we have to continue with the revolution”, says one passionate supporter. An influential 25-year-old rap singer talks of his kindled interest in politics because of Chávez. He was inspired to learn about his country’s history and is now a firm believer that politics can be a powerful weapon, if used in collaboration with culture to spread the message that culture itself is like a train in which the world’s ideologies travel and that protests can be most effective. The singer, echoing Chávez, is convinced that for too long marketing and big business had turned culture into something trivial.
According to a 48-year old nurse, Chávez is the best thing to happen to her country because he recognises the struggles of the poor. He is to be applauded for his improvements to housing and education. She calls him a humane President who believes in bringing the people together.
Throughout the film, there is much talk of a collective willingness for change by the state driven by the President’s belief and vision in transferring as much power and liberty as possible to the people. However, away from his supporters, Chávez is opposed vociferously by a growing band of discontented journalists and political opponents, with particular concerns about restrictions on any notion of a truly democratic media.
Navarrete has produced a balanced appraisal of a President and a country continuing on a journey to a still uncertain future.
Joe Cushnan
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